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DOT&E FY2000 Annual Report

TRANSPORTATION COORDINATORS' AUTOMATED INFORMATION
FOR MOVEMENTS SYSTEM II (TC-AIMS II)

Army ACAT IAM Program		Prime Contractor
Total Number of Systems:	7,300 sites 17,600 users	DynCorp
Total Program Cost (TY$):	TBD
Average Unit Cost (TY$):	TBD
Full-rate production:	TBD

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2020

The Transportation Coordinators' Automated Information for Movement System II (TC-AIMS II) addresses critical shortfalls in the movement of materiel and personnel in support of DoD operations. It merges the best business practices of the current Service-unique transportation automated information systems into a single system that combines the requirements for the Unit Movement, Installation Transportation Office/Transportation Management Office, and Theater Distribution functional areas, and integrates the following legacy systems:

At full operational capability, TC-AIMS II will provide an integrated transportation information system capability for routine deployment, sustainment, and redeployment/retrograde operations. The system must be integrated with installation, unit, and depot-level supply systems to manage inbound and outbound movement documents and requisition information (less household goods). TC-AIMS II will automate installation shipping/receiving and deployment, sustainment and re-deployment/retrograde processes; produce movement documentation; and furnish timely information to the Service major subordinate commands, United States Transportation Command, transportation component commands, and the joint deployment community, and will also support warfighters at the unit level. As a DoD source movement information system, it will provide in-transit visibility and control over cargo and passenger movement. TC-AIMS II supports the Joint Vision 2020 concept of dominant maneuver by improving joint capabilities for rapid worldwide deployment and reducing "buildup time." It supports the Joint Vision 2020 concept of focused logistics by enabling rapid crisis response at unit and installation transportation offices. TC-AIMS II allows the direct delivery of tailored logistics and sustainment packages at the strategic, operational, and tactical level of operations.

In 1987, the Secretary of Defense directed that programs be initiated to provide automated support to Service transportation coordinators. Joint Staff Memorandum (JSM) 3-87 directed the Services to implement this guidance. Each Service developed its own system to comply with JSM 3-87. In 1993, the Secretary of Defense directed that improvement actions be taken to increase standardization, improve processes, and migrate multiple parallel and/or stovepipe systems into effective multi-purpose, multi-Service automated support systems. In March 1995, the Office of the Secretary of Defense approved the recommendations from the Joint Transportation Corporate Information Management Center to migrate selected portions of Unit Move and Installation Transportation Office/Traffic Management Office systems into an improved TC-AIMS II. TC-AIMS II was designated to be a standard joint system sufficiently flexible to meet Service-unique requirements. This system will be developed and fielded in functional blocks. The Joint Requirements Oversight Council approved the Operational Requirements Document in March 1999. However, TC-AIMS II does not yet have an approved Acquisition Program Baseline.

During joint exercise Foal Eagle 99, a prototype of TC-AIMS II was used to manage the deployment equipment list, create military shipping labels, and utilize advanced identification techniques to facilitate in-transit visibility during deployment and redeployment of the U.S. Marine Corps 31 Marine Expeditionary Unit and U.S. Army 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. ATEC, the independent OTA, conducted an OA during the exercise. The results were not encouraging. The software was immature and had not undergone adequate DT. Experienced and enthusiastic Marines in Okinawa were innovative in trying to use the new system, but they were unable to make it work effectively. During the exercise, both the Army and Marine units were forced to revert to their respective legacy systems.

During 3QFY00, Software Qualification Testing was conducted. In late June 2000, the Configuration Management Board approved a change from the scheduled OT of the Unit Movement functionality (Version 3.01) to a Customer Test. This action was necessary due to 32 unresolved Priority 1 and 2 Problem Change Requests identified from the Software Qualification Test. ATEC conducted the Customer Test from July 19-August 30, 2000, at four Service test sites: Ft. Hood, TX; Shaw AFB, SC; Gulfport, MS; and Camp LeJeune, NC. The results showed that none of the Services were able to complete a transportation planning, coordination, and execution scenario from end to end. It was apparent that significant development efforts remain. The IOT&E for Version 3.01 is currently planned for 2QFY02.

For the first time, a single system is being developed to integrate the transportation and movement control systems/procedures for all four Services. However, before the processes can be automated successfully, the procedures must be jointly agreed upon and standardized. This has presented a substantial institutional challenge in the past, but progress is being made. As TC-AIMS II continues development, its numerous external system interfaces will present significant technical and operational challenges.

FY00 TRANSPORTATION COORDINATORS' AUTOMATED INFORMATION FOR MOVEMENTS SYSTEM II (TC-AIMS II)